The art Fair is just over a week away now on Saturday, October 7th (10am to 5pm) and Sunday October 8th (10am to 4pm).

Artists exhibiting include some of Hambledon’s own with paintings and drawings from John and Cathy Coleman and Sophie Keir (still counted as a Hambledonian!) and ceramicist Georgie Gardiner, plus this year Jane Taylor from Jewelled at the Coalyard.

We also have amazingly talented professional artists who haven’t exhibited with us before and we’re getting so excited to see everyone’s beautiful work. We’re looking forward so much to seeing you all there!

Admission £1, children under 16 free.

Fencing work to enclose the footpath across Feathercombe farmland between Hambledon Church and the woods below Hydon’s Ball has been completed.

The new owners of the farm, who consulted with Hambledon Parish Council over the proposal, have installed oak posts and wire fencing and allowed a width of more than two metres. This is considerably wider than the minimum of 1.75 metres requested by Surrey County Council, which is responsible for public rights of way.

The parish council asked if the path could be kept as wide as possible, having first established that it did not require planning permission. It asked the owners to consult with SCC, which they did. The county council raised no objection and nor did the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It was acknowledged that many land owners fence their fields and have a right to do so, to protect crops or animals, and to prevent trespass. The parish council publicised the proposal on the village website and parish magazine and only one objection was raised.

In the past two days several villagers expressed pleasure to councillors at finding the fencing was erected at a generous width. Indeed, it is wider than most other footpaths in the area and the owners have undertaken to ensure that it is maintained to prevent it becoming overgrown.

Public Right of Way 118 crosses what is known as 14-acre Copse, from the kissing gate close to the old lime kiln near the church to another kissing gate at a mid-point in the field and then over to a third kissing gate where it enters the wood. It is a popular and scenic walk for locals and visitors and, until recently, was unfenced.

The new owners of Feathercombe Farm, the Trinity Partnership, have ended arable use of the field and instead will use it for grazing polo ponies, turning it into high-quality grassland.

Earlier this month, Alice Servaes, on behalf of the partnership, offered a site visit for Hambledon Parish councillors to explain the need to fence both sides of the path to ensure the welfare of the ponies, to prevent trespass and to keep dogs from straying.

Councillors were shown dog mess deposited many yards away from the path, a health hazard to grazing animals, and clear evidence that some dog walkers were allowing their animals to run over private land.

A parish council inspection the day after work was completed found that dog mess was evident inside the new fencing, a worrying sign that some inconsiderate dog walkers are letting their pets foul the path without clearing up after them.

PLEASE take dog waste bags with you to ensure the path remains a pleasure to walk for all.

For more background on the footpath and other plans for Feathercombe Farm, please see earlier news story here .

Come along to support this amazing cause. There’s a raffle with really great prizes (meal for two at the Harriers, £25 gift voucher for the White Hart in Whitley etc etc). £5 a strip and cash only so don’t forget to pop into the Post Office on your way if you need to get cash!

The Cricket Club are holding an end of season party at the Village Hall on Saturday 14th October.

ALL are welcome – past, present and future members/affiliates and family/friends, and anyone from the village! Live music, plenty of food and drink, as well as a raffle/auction to raise funds for the club.

For more information and to purchase tickets click here.

The new owners of Feathercombe Farm invited parish councillors to a site visit to outline plans to fence in the footpath across the fields between Hambledon Church and the woods below Hydon’s Ball.

Alice Servaes, on behalf of the Trinity Partnership which recently acquired the 240-acre farm, met with Stewart Payne, Alison Scott-Bishop and Simon Rhodes in early September to explain why it wishes to erect oak post and wire fencing across what is known as Fourteen Acre Copse.

The popular and scenic footpath 181, a public right-of-way, runs across the centre of this field from the churchyard to a kissing gate in the middle, and then continues at an angle across the second part of the field to another kissing gate where it enters woodland. Currently this path is unfenced.

Alice said that the fencing is necessary to ensure the well-being of polo ponies that will be grazing either side of the path. This is being put to high-quality grass, but was previously used for crops.

She was particularly concerned that some dog walkers allow their pets to run free in the field, and do not keep to the footpath. Evidence of dog fouling some distance away from the path was shown to councillors.

Alice said there will be no obstruction or deviation to the existing footpath and walkers will have a two-metre-wide track, with waist-height wire fencing either side. The view from the path will be unaffected. It is common practice for landowners to erect fencing beside rights-of-way to protect crops, livestock or horses, she said.

No barbed wire will be used and a grass verge will be maintained either side to keep some distance from electric fencing which will be used to keep horses away from the path.

Alice said trespass was a problem and she had also seen horse riders in the lower field area even though the path is not a bridleway.

At an earlier site meeting to discuss a proposed horse exercise track, Alice assured councillors that the owners had no intention of appealing the rejection by Waverley Borough Council for what amounted to a stable unit in the lower field. This proposal was widely opposed by Hambledon residents and the parish council earlier this year. Alice and her planning team said it would not be seeking any similar permission in this field.

The exercise track, which will require planning permission (not yet submitted) will be in a field behind the existing Feathercombe Farm buildings, accessed off Feathercombe Lane. It will not be lit, nor will it have any buildings and is unlikely to be visible from public footpaths.

Councillors asked if the footpath fencing could be wider than two metres, to allow for family groups to walk side-by-side. Alice noted the suggestion but did not give any commitment.

The parish council has confirmed that landowners have the right to fence their fields without requiring planning permission. The path is in the Green Belt and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The council sought a view from Surrey Hills AONB board, and it said it would raise no objections.

Public rights-of-way are the responsibility of county councils, and the Parish Council has also contacted Surrey County Council. At the time of writing, there has been no response.

All welcome to this (last?) summer event at St Peter’s this Sunday at 6PM. It promises to be a lovely late summer’s evening, perfect for a Pimm’s with village friends from near and far as we sing some favourite hymns.

Hambledon Fashion Show is on Thursday, September 14th which is two weeks tomorrow. Ticket sales are slow at the moment which is not unusual at this point for Hambledon events when there’s always a flurry of ticket sales right at the end. However, this time it’s a bit different as in order for the show to go ahead the company running it need us to have sold at least 40 tickets by next Thursday, Sept 7th. If you’re planning on coming then we really need you to buy your tickets as soon as possible, please, so that we don’t have to cancel.

Everyone who has been before will know what a great fun evening it is so tell your friends, buy your tickets and come along to have a great night out, buy some bargain clothes and support Hambledon’s very own lovely catwalk models!

Tickets £7 at the village shop.

As well as the day of the Village Shop BBQ, this Saturday also sees the running of the annual Village Show.

The Categories list for the Show can be found in the Parish Magazine and on line by clicking here.

On the day of the Show, entries can be dropped off from 9.30am – 11.30am at the Village Hall.

It is FREE to enter your items!

After judging, the Show will be open to all from 2.00pm – 4.30pm. Best in Show and the Underwood Cup will be announced at 4.00pm.

The Village Shop BBQ will start at the same time as the Show closes at 4:30pm.

To round the day off there’s live music from Out To Lunch at The Merry Harriers from 8pm on Saturday evening (free entry).

We still have some tickets available but they are selling fast and we will be totting up final catering numbers soon. 

So get your ticket today to avoid an empty plate on Saturday!

We’re hosting our popular annual End of Summer BBQ on Saturday 26th August from 4:30pm to 7:00pm. 

Tickets are available online (click here) and at at the shop: £12:50 for adults and £5 for under 16s.

The ticket price includes BBQ food (with vegan options), salads and an ice-cream plus live music. There will be licensed bars for you to purchase your favourite tipple and soft drinks.

Bring deck chairs and/or picnic blankets!

Rail passengers have been given more time to comment on the proposed closure of hundreds of ticket offices across the UK, including at Witley, Milford and Godalming stations.

Many Hambledon residents use these stations on the Waterloo to Portsmouth line operated by South Western Railway.

The closures (see previous news story here https://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/?p=17952 ) are proposed by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators. Passengers were originally given until July 26 to comment. Following widespread concern, this has now been extended until September 1^st.

The RDG says it wants to close ticket offices as many travellers buy on-line or at platform ticket machines. It also states that it wants to bring staff out from behind counters to provide support to customer on platforms, but it is hard to see how such a proposal would work as small country stations such as Witley and Milford with just two platforms and only one train an hour outside peak times.

If you would like to comment on the proposals, you can do so here – https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/uk-rail-industry/customer-focused-reform/customer-focused-stations.html#consultation

Our photograph below shows the ticket office and waiting room at Milford Station.

The annual Hambledon Village Shop end of summer BBQ will take place on Saturday 26th August, starting at 4:30pm at the end of the Village Show.

As well as the usual BBQ food and salads, there will be live music and licensed bars. Tickets for the BBQ can be purchased by clicking here.

The future of our village bus service, the 503, remains in doubt. But, for the time being, you can make any single journey for just £2 under the Fare Cap scheme.

With the summer holidays here, you can take the family on a cheap excursion into Godalming or, as villager Mary Grove discovered, take a winding and scenic journey all the way into Guildford – just for the sheer enjoyment of the ride.